While most commuters were still on their way to work on Monday, the mayor of La Pêche declared a state of emergency for his rural municipality, which covers both sides of the Gatineau River about 20 kilometres north of the city of Gatineau.

Robert Bussière asked the province of Quebec for help with damaged infrastructure and homes. As of Monday afternoon, he had still not heard if Quebec would step in to help.

Damage in La Pêche was considerable: Culverts were overwhelmed by the deluge resulting in sinkholes and washouts, including one that had forced police to shut down McLinton Road and another sinkhole on rue de la Montagne. Residents, including a pregnant woman, were unable to leave 25 to 40 homes because of road closures, and as many as 40 roads and portions of roads were closed.

“There were roads that were completely washed out. One culvert that was maybe six feet in diameter was carried away,” said Bussière.

Municipal workers figure out how to fix the sinkhole on chemin de la RiviÃ¨re at the corner of McLinton Road.Jean Levac /
Postmedia News

“There was also a small landslide on the Mill Road near the Wakefield Mill that took down some trees that fell over hydro lines,” he said. “There was a lot of damage to infrastructure, but also to people’s homes.

“Investments in repairs will be considerable.”

Coun. Claude Giroux said another heavy rainfall on Oct. 15 had resulted in flooding. “This is much worse. But we were ready. I was impressed by the response.”

But residents were also helping one another. While two shelters were set up, no one showed up to use them.

Bussière said he doesn’t know how long it will take to repair the damage.

“There will need to be a global study of what needs to be done to avoid these situations. It may mean oversizing culverts and changing ditches. It will need approvals from the environment and wildlife ministries.”

About 8,000 people live in La Pêche, which covers just over 600 square kilometres. The municipality has only 13 vehicles, and all of them were still on the road late into Monday night.

Almost all of the roads that had been closed had been reopened, at least temporarily, said Sylvie Loubier, La Pêche’s assistant general manager. Pike Lake Road remained closed, but most of the homes on the road are chalets and not occupied.

Meanwhile, Bussière said he was worried that the worst may be yet to come.

“A beaver dam on a mountain could come down and cause more damage. Anything could happen.”

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